This chapter contains mention of suicide and self-harm.
Chapter Two
Hermione arrived in the garden of the Burrow, the family home of the Weasley's. She took several calming breaths and mentally steeled herself for the evening to come. She knew the house was bound to be near bursting with people.
The Weasley's had six children: Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, and Ginny. George's twin brother, Fred, had died during the Battle of Hogwarts. Bill had married Fleur Delacour the August before Harry, Ron, and Hermione left to search for horcruxes. Fleur had given birth to their daughter, Victoire, the previous year on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. George was engaged to Angelina Johnson, a girl from his year in school who had fought alongside them in the War. Percy would no doubt have brought his wife Audrey. So, with the addition of Harry and Hermione, there would be no less than 14 people gathered in the small Weasley home.
Hermione's hand was nearly on the door handle when the door was opened, and Ginny Weasley pulled her into a tight hug. "Hermione!" Ginny shouted, gleefully. "I've missed you so much." Ginny was hugging Hermione so tightly she felt her ribs might crack.
"Hello, Ginny," Hermione's reply was muffled, her face buried in Ginny's robes. "It's great to see you, but can you let me go before you break my ribs or suffocate me." Hermione laughed.
Ginny released Hermione from the hug and took her hand, pulling her into the house. She dragged Hermione all the way into the living room. "Look who I found!" Ginny shouted.
Mrs. Weasley rose from her seat next to her husband and rushed forward to give Hermione a hug almost as severe as the one she had received from Ginny. "Hermione, dear, it is so wonderful to see you. How are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, beaming with joy.
"I'm doing fine, Mrs. Weasley. How are you?" Hermione responded, returning the older woman's hug.
"I'm just wonderful. It's so good to have all the family together again." Mrs. Weasley replied, smiling. Hermione could see unshed tears sparkling in Mrs. Weasley's eyes as she looked toward the portrait of Fred that hung prominently in the living room.
"His portrait arrived this morning. He's bloody driving the other portraits out of their frames with stink bombs." Mr. Weasley laughed, proudly.
Hermione smiled sadly at the portrait. Fred had only been 20 when he died. She looked around the room and noticed George was absent. "Where's George?" Hermione asked.
"He's upstairs in his and Fred's room." Ginny answered. "He won't come down until we go to the garden for dinner. Said he doesn't want to see Fred's portrait." Ginny frowned down at the floor.
Hermione excused herself from the loud din of the living room. She made her way upstairs to where she knew Fred and George's room to be.
She knocked lightly on the door. "George, can I come in?" She asked in a soft voice.
She heard a sob from inside and a moment later the door opened. George was lying on his brother's bed, holding a moldy custard. "I found this earlier under his bed," George said in a weary tone. "It's a canary cream. Remember those?" He chuckled, humorlessly.
Hermione sat lightly on the bed beside him. "Oh, George. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine the pain you feel."
George sat up. Hermione could see the tracks of tears down his face. "He was my other half, 'Mione. I feel like half of me is missing. I don't know how to move on like everyone else seems to be. We were always together. The last two years… the last two fucking years have been the worst years of my life. I want my brother." The tears started falling down his face again.
Hermione leaned over and wrapped her arms around him and allowed him to sob into her shoulder. She stroked his hair. "I know, I know you do. If I could bring him back to you, I would in an instant." She held her friend tightly. "George, he's always going to be with you, even if you can't see him. He's all around you. He's in your joke shop, he's in this house, and he'll always be in your heart."
She held him at arm's length. She noticed more cuts on his face. "Have you been hurting yourself again?" she asked, shocked.
"You don't understand Hermione. I see him in every mirror, every glass, everywhere a reflection is possible. I'm trying to make it stop. It HURTS!" He shouted. "I can't go on like this. I don't want to go on like this. I wish I had died too." He collapsed in a heap on the bed, crying violently.
"Oh, George." She whispered. She reached into her beaded bag she brought everywhere. She pulled out a vial of calming draught. "Drink this." she said softly.
She held out the vial and George downed it. She stroked his hair as he drifted off to sleep.
She closed his door and made her way back down to the living room a few moments later. Ginny and Angelina were the only ones left in the living room. Hermione could hear the others in the kitchen helping Mrs. Weasley get things ready to carry to the garden for dinner.
"He's nearly catatonic," she said sadly. "I gave him a calming draught and he's sleeping. I don't think he should be disturbed." Hermione twisted the end of her braid around her finger as she eyed the other two girls.
"Mum and Angelina wrote to me quite a bit while I was away to keep me updated on him," Ginny said with a tearful glance toward the stairs. "He's never going to be himself again, is he?" Ginny asked quietly.
"He needs a Mind Healer. I know we've discussed it before, Angelina, but you must convince him to see someone. If he doesn't, I'm afraid he's going to kill himself. This goes far beyond survivor's guilt." Hermione sat down and looked pleadingly at Angelina.
"I've tried to get him to go, Hermione. He refuses. If I bring it up, he won't speak to me for days. He's not going to the shop anymore. He's not creating new ideas for the shop anymore. He just sits in the dark, cutting his beautiful face." Tears slid down Angelina's face and her voice broke. "I don't know how much longer I can do this. I'm tired. My heart aches for him and I'm at a loss of what to do to help him." She covered her face with her hands and began to cry.
Ginny wrapped an arm tightly around Angelina's shoulders. "We'll get him help, Angelina."
It was like a lightbulb suddenly turned on in Hermione's brain. "Have him committed to St. Mungo's Psychiatric Ward. Not permanently, just until they can get him through the suicidal ideations." Angelina and Ginny looked at her horrified.
"What? You want to put him in the loony bin! Hermione, that's drastic, isn't it?" Ginny's face was turning an angry red. "We can help him. He doesn't need to be locked away."
"Ginny, he told me he wants to die. How much longer do you think until he attempts it. Angelina is single-handedly keeping the shop up and running. She can't watch him all day! What if she comes home one day and it's too late! He needs more help than any of us can provide. It would only be temporary." Hermione snapped at her friend. She hated how they treated people who needed mental help.
Angelina looked between the two. "This, this isn't helping him either. That portrait nearly caused him to pass out when he walked in, and no one had warned either of us before we got here." Angelina stood and walked toward the stairs. "I'm taking him home. If he's not in a state to eat, we are leaving. I'm getting him away from that portrait." She turned to look at the portrait of Fred that was staring at them sadly. "I'm sorry, Fred." Angelina apologized and walked out.
Hermione rose and headed toward the door leading to the garden. When she was almost out of the living room, she turned back to Ginny, "I'm right and you know it. Stop assuming that people with mental health issues are less than human. Being depressed and filled with so much guilt will kill him if he doesn't get help and you know it." Ginny looked like Hermione had slapped her.
Once out in the garden, Hermione took a seat as far away from Ron as she could. Ginny finally came out a few moments later. She sat next to Harry and Ron at the opposite end of the table.
The dinner was a tense ordeal. Hermione assumed everyone had overheard the screaming match in the house. A few times Charlie and Percy attempted to get conversations going but gave up when it was obvious that everyone was too downtrodden to speak to one another.
After dinner, Hermione excused herself from the table. She was nearly to the apparition point when Mrs. Weasley grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Dear, I appreciate the way you look after George. Fred would be grateful for it. I agree, he needs help. If I could commit him myself, I would've months ago. Angelina is soon to be his wife now. It's her decision, but I'll talk to her. I couldn't bear to lose another child." She looked tearfully at Hermione. "You know you were my favorite thing about Ron's time in school. Getting to know you was a true blessing. I always hold out hope you'll find your way back to one another."
Mrs. Weasley hugged her tightly and Hermione felt the wetness of tears on her shoulders as the older woman sobbed. "I love you all very much, Mrs. Weasley, but Ron and I are better as friends."
Hermione turned on the spot and apparated home.